Meet the Band Called FIREFLIES

Took time out of my busy schedules for a night out on my neighborhood in Quezon City. Pretty dark out there, but I've seen something glow from afar, it was lights from a local bar where I saw FIREFLIES was playing.

It's a band formed in 2016, who now decided to get re-launched with new members in tow. If you're a little observant, you probably know most of them are from bands Cueshé who's had remarkable success in the early 2000's. Jay Justiniani does Lead Vocals, Jhunjie Dosdos on Vocals , Guitar and Keyboards, while JC Del Rosario IV does Vocals and Bass Guitar, RM Tolentino who does Percussions and Pat Galut does the Lead Guitar. They've been working hard the past few months taking a shot at writing songs, doing covers and performing in different locations across the Philippines.

Here's our short chat with them after a set, apologies as it's quite noisy in the bar we were in that evening. 

Jay says "Actually, this group is easy to work with. Jhunjie is a former band member of Cueshé (like him) so we do really know each others dynamics. Our other band members are also good songwriters, so it was easy to work with even though we have different ideas. It was easier to make songs if you guys understand each other. Jhunjie and I are good friends, and good friends are hard to come by."

JC adds "Jhunjie and I started to work with Fireflies, and we now have new band members, we just didn't have a vocalist then, Jay agreed to join later on and that became a positive direction for the Fireflies band."

Jhunjie adds "I remember Jay was having doubts joining us a few years back. He was very busy and was based in Cebu. It was a bit difficult because we were playing in Manila most of the time. Some of the former Fireflies got a little tired working with us in the band because of the pandemic as income was really tight because we didn't have gigs during the lockdown. He had to go back to Davao. I was the only one left, I knew I had to do something. I'm thankful Jay agreed even if we haven't seen each other for a long time."

They named themselves Fireflies because it's like a spark in the dark. They're raring to perform in company parties, concerts local or foreign. They are currently being managed by Ms. Grace who previously worked in ABSCBN. You may get in touch with them through 09923150106 as it'll be surely busy during the holidays. They're bringing their new brand of music, some covers, and some old classics that 90's kids, Millenials and Gen Z's would absolutely love. They're going to release a few singles soon, so make sure you follow them also on their social channels at https://www.facebook.com/fireflies.ph because they're going to post updates of their gigs on that page.

Cheers to more music from FIREFLIES! Hope you shine brighter in the darkest hours and share your love of music even more!

i-Pop Girl Group CALISTA Release Empowering Single RACE CAR

New girl group CALISTA

I loved what I saw earlier at the launch of CALISTA, the newest iPOP Girl Group set to conquer the world by storm. They scoured the country for a little over a hundred talented girls and pick the ones right for the mix, and that's what we saw earlier. They've been training for months and with fire in their eyes, they're raring to go do the legwork to become the biggest girl group act in the world. 

This is the first time I'm seeing Anne, Olive, Denise, Dain, Laiza and Elle as restrictions from COVID in the country was just relaxed this month. Their launch coincided with International Women's day and that couldn't come at an opportune time. They came from different backgrounds, Anne is a triple threat and previously released singles, she also appeared in projects from Regal Films. Olive on the other hand is my personal favorite. She's very pretty, and was crowned Miss Teen Cebu 2019. Denise on the other hand has been doing dance for a few years now. She also has done international dance championships in Australia and wants this opportunity with Calista to soar. Dain has been in the pageant circuit. She's also a model and balance her studies successfully. Laiza has appeared in different TV shows, movies, a very versatile actress. Elle is also a beauty queen and a spirited dancer, you'll love what she does on stage and we saw them all happen today.

Calista with Niana Guerrero who performed this evening!

Here's their new single RACE CAR

Their first single called RACE CAR written and produced by Marcus Davis was also a hit with the press. With the catchy tune and fierce lyrics, it fit Calista to a T and personified who they are as a group. Answering some tough questions from the trad media earlier, they reiterated that they're not in the industry to become famous, but become an inspiration to people who would love their songs, dance and performances. They know their lives will change and in the next few weeks, they'll be doing a concert called VAX TO NORMAL in Araneta Coliseum. This means they'll be working doubly hard as they do that on April 26th, this is under Merlion Events Production. The concert will be shown on TV5 and will include Yeng Constantino, AC Bonifacio, Elmo Magalona, Andrea Brillantes, Darren Espanto and Ken San Jose. Last thing, although they're very talented women, they still have a long way to go and they're all raring to prove (and know) that they're worth it. You'll have to see them brave 

Before things go haywire, make sure you check out Calista on their website at calistasocials.com and follow their channels @CalistaMusicOfficial on IG and Calista PH on FB.

Filipino Actor LEO CONSUL Takes Indonesia by Storm and Releases Single NO PUEDO

Leo Consul is making waves again in Indonesia. The man who hosted in Eat Bulaga's Indonesian franchise is now doing acting roles. He is part of Terpaksa Menikahi (Forced Marriage) and Love Story. He's also gone doing movies in our ASEAN neighbor. Aside from that, he just released a song this year entitled "NO PUEDO". 

Leo Consul is a native of Bolinao Pangasinan and he pursued a career as an English teacher in an international school in Indonesia. His passion being in the entertainment industry was really a calling, he started doing auditions and made the cut.

He says "It took me a couple of years to learn Bahasa. I had to learn it fast because of Eat Bulaga Indonesia. English wasn't widely use, it takes a while but I understand everything now. Before I did the series, I just had a few sessions. I learned theatre from school. I also watched Korean dramas, which it was patterned from. I did shows, which I also hosted. I have also been given shows wherein I didn't have to auditioned anymore because they trusted me with what I do. I tried to join around 2007, I used to host a travelling show in a regional ABSCBN show. I also auditioned for Starstruck, Pinoy Dream Academy. Honestly speaking, when I came to Indonesia, I was really appreciated, but it worked out in the end... because I was probably meant to be here at first. If I didn't get opportunities in the Philippines, I was lucky to be in in Indonesia. I do get compared with Piolo and Inigo Pascual, and I am honored when people tell me that."

 

Ladies, he's single... and says "Yes we just broke up, we couldn't cope with the distance. What helped me a lot was doing the series, I just focused on it and everything was good. I hope the next one is the serious one, I'm not getting any younger anymore and I hope we have the same goals, and not that complicated anymore."

If you want to see his work, go stream his single NO PUEDO in streaming sites worldwide. You can also see his music video on YouTube today. He's raring to have his own Filipino career and with Cornerstone by his side, it'll be possible.